Tasting the Forbidden Fruit
by xSummonerYunax
Summary: [CloTi] Venturing into Corneo's mansion proves to be a traumatizing experience for Tifa, but a certain ExSOLDIER is determined to banish the darkness for her.
1. Tasting the Forbidden Fruit

Tasting the Forbidden Fruit

- - -

"Huh? Hey, back there……Tifa!?"

That was the last thing she heard before a hand roughly pulled her back into the carriage and cupped her mouth before she could yell in protest. The red velvet blinds were quickly drawn in an attempt to hide her from the public eye and to anyone who was against the squalid mansion of the Don and his sordid deeds. Before disappearing from the back of the carriage, she managed to lock eyes with Cloud, her one hope of getting out of the grave she had dug herself in, and before she could even contemplate whether or not he detected the fear in her eyes, her back was easily slammed against the wooden side of the carriage.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Her assaulter was a man who appeared to be in his late 30's. The sight of him made Tifa turn her head in disgust. His face was intimidating to say the least with long greasy strands of ebony locks cascading over his small but shrewd eyes. A thick goatee traced the base of his sharp jaw line, converging at the chin, which he seemed to love stroking. The thought of facing more of Corneo's henchman similar to the one in front of her made her shudder, but she made sure it was anything but noticeable. No matter what happens, she refused to give into their satisfaction by having them know they instilled fear in her.

When she didn't answer him, he trained his impassive beady eyes at her warningly. "I'm telling you, lady. You better not be up to some funny business or else I'm going to have no choice but to 'punish' you…if you get my drift." He gave a wicked snicker and slowly scanned the brunette's body up and down. Her sparkling blue dress definitely did her figure justice with the tight material hugging her sensual curves. The sight of the junction between her ample bosoms alone was enough to make him emit a loud satisfying groan without even the slightest hint of shame. The silky blue material stopped a few inches above her knees, exposing the remnants of her long legs that were adorned by black laces originating from a pair of black stilettos.

Tifa could feel his lustful eyes burning into her body and she could almost see images of herself running through his mind. They made her shudder and for a moment, she considered what could really happen to her if she made the wrong move. Although she was more than capable of disposing the scum before her, she couldn't blow her cover until her mission was complete. Thousands of lives in Sector VII were counting her. After hearing rumors that ShinRa planned on detonating the pillar on the outskirts of Sector VII, she knew she had no choice but to request an audience with the most despicable man in Midgar, only second to ShinRa, of course. Barret reluctantly told her that Corneo was their only source of information and fought against her leave, but what other choice did she have? With Cloud out of the picture, it was up to her and the rest of the members of AVALANCHE to finish their mission.

But when she saw him, the biggest wave of relief swept over her. If seeing him wasn't enough to prove his existence, hearing his voice as well certainly did. Recalling that precious moment suddenly made her flush. He had no inkling of what was going on and she didn't want to give him the wrong idea of why she was dressed in a rather revealing dress, riding a beautiful ornate carriage through Wall Market. She could still hear the hurt, confusion, and alarm ringing in his voice when he spoke those words…but who was he speaking to? When she tried to recall the event that only occurred a few minutes ago, she suddenly realized that Cloud was not alone. There was someone else next to him; it was a lady clad in a pink skirt with the most striking emerald eyes she had ever seen. She didn't get a clear view of the stranger's face, but from what she remembered, the stranger was gorgeous and had a look of pure innocence.

That thought made her frown and an uneasy feeling suddenly replaced the relief. Her heart started pounding slightly against her chest and she could feel her muscles tensing up. She didn't know what she was feeling at the moment. Astonishment and envy were definitely there…perhaps with a hint of bitterness as well. She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't even realize that the carriage had entered Wall Market. The loud ruckus taking place in the world outside her confinement seemed to be distances away. Voices did not register in her mind and they left just as quickly, if not quicker than they came.

Her musings came to an abrupt halt when the hooligan brusquely yanked her up to her feet. She nearly stumbled over her heels, being that she was mostly used to wearing shoes that were leveled with the ground.

"We're almost there, sweetheart. Fix yourself up and look nice for the Don." His dirty fingers and hands roamed across her body, smoothing out the edges of her skirt, but they both knew it was an excuse for him to touch her in rather inappropriate places.

Tifa's back stiffened when she felt the tips of his fingers firmly massaging her spine. She tried to steady her trembling body as the hands started to run down on either side of her waists, her hips…

She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to take it anymore. She turned around while simultaneously backing away from him. "Thanks, but I can fix my own dress." It took almost every ounce of energy in her body to retain her composure. Through the loose flaps of the curtains, she could see that Corneo's mansion was only a few feet away. It certainly was a lavish palace compared to the rest of the structures in the slum, but she hated to think where Corneo got the money to create the 'paradise' that was known as his home.

The henchman snickered and playfully threw his arms up in defeat. "Be my guest then, but you gotta loosen up. A pretty gal like you should be used to the attention…and I'm sure you've also been giving some, huh?"

His sexual insinuation initiated a certain type of anger in her that she had only felt once in her life and that was when Sephiroth robbed her of her hometown and family. She clenched the hand that was hidden behind her back into a fist, which she felt possessed to throw at the scumbag that was degrading her by the second. What did he know about her? What right did he have to say that about her or to any other women? Her chest gently heaved up and down from frustration as the fire surging through her body begged to be extinguished by its opposite element. Unfortunately, no such aid came to quell the rage that accumulated with each passing second the lowlife eyed her delicate hourglass figure, chuckling to himself as he watched with pure bliss.

Luckily, the carriage came to a full halt, which suddenly shocked her 'escort' and caused him to stumble over his feet. Tifa let out a tiny satisfied laugh, but the minute humor was hardly enough to prepare her for what she would expect past the magnificent doors of the mansion. She was greeted by two guards who couldn't help but blatantly stare at her alluring body when she stepped out of the chocobo carriage. Tifa caught them winking at each other, exchanging a few words under their breath that was obviously not meant for her ears. One of the guards opened the door while the other one gently took her hand and led her inside.

"Well…I think the Don is certainly going to be pleased tonight, ha!" The one holding the door announced in a suggestive tone. He gave a wolfish whistle as Tifa walked by him with a cold hard look in her eyes.

As soon as she stood before the reception desk, the heavy doors behind her closed. What distressed her the most was hearing the doors lock with a click, preventing her from making a quick escape if she needed to. The mansion vestibule was wide and the floor and ceiling were layered with golden paint that was so expensive that no one in the slums could even come remotely close to affording even a gallon of the sun-kissed liquid. Bold red images of dragons danced across the golden planes, snaking through every possible corners and kanji characters, which were imprinted on every available panel. Tifa recognized some of them, especially the ones that were written on the crimson paper lanterns. The first character that struck her was "God" and there was no doubt that character symbolized Corneo.

She continued to glance around, making sure to shield her eyes from the intense chandeliers that gave off enough bright lift to rival sunrays. The lights made her head hurt as tiny circles danced in front of vision. It took awhile to recover, but when she finally did, she noticed that the structure she was standing in was a two-story one. On her right was a set of golden stairs that spiraled to the second level of the mansion. She assumed the large room in the middle belonged to Conreo since the door was heavily decorated with expensive ornaments while the other two rooms beside it were less aesthetically grandiose. Speaking of the two other rooms, she did not even want to know what lied behind the closed doors.

A woman behind the mahogany front desk looked up at the female who had just entered. She quickly flipped through a few pages in her memo and tapped her pen lightly against the wooden tabletop until she found what she was searching for. "Ah, you must be Tifa Lockheart?"

Tifa jumped slightly, not realizing that there was someone behind her, watching her as she observed the infamous mansion she had heard so much about. The lady behind the counter smiled warmly, a somewhat freakish insane smile. She tugged on her pair of thick black-rimmed glasses that hid most of her terrifying drooping eyes, pushing it back against the bridge of her nose to keep it from sliding off while quickly scribbling some unidentified words on her sheet.

"Yes…I am…" Tifa replied timidly as she watched the lady furiously scribbling away.

"Okay dear…" Finally, she clicked the top of the pen and set the writing device down. "See that left most room on the second floor? Just go and wait in there, OK? There should be someone waiting for you inside."

"Is it Don Corneo?" she asked hopefully. She just wanted to get the worst over with it so she could leave the creepy estate as soon as possible.

The woman got up from her seat and took the brunette's hand, guiding her towards the set of stairs. "Corneo? Haha, he's probably sleeping in his room. It's not wise to disturb him at the moment."

"Wait…what? But I want to see him NOW." She swiftly pulled her wrist back. For a moment, she thought she had offended the receptionist with her rude and abrupt action because she received a cynical and almost sadistic smile in response. However, the cruel smile faded and Tifa silently wondered if she had imagined it due to the tension that was finally starting to take a toll on her.

"Oh, on second thought…he MIGHT be in that little room there. Come on, sweetheart…you're holding me up. I've got q job to do and men to please."

The last line made Tifa sick, but she couldn't refuse her, not when she was so close to interrogating Corneo regarding the validity of the roaming rumors that had everyone in Sector VII panicking. Her fingers trembled as she gave her hand to the receptionist, who was grinning in delight at her persuasion.

"Why are you so nervous, sweetie? The Don is a nice man, really!"

_I'm sure he is…_Tifa resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the unconvincing comment.

The stairs were quite difficult to walk on. Watching the lights reflecting off the shiny golden marble surface made her dizzy again, but she had to stay focus on just keeping her balance. High heels and waxed floors do not go hand-in-hand. As she passed by the first door on the right, she heard faint moans, giggles, and naughty talk. Multiple people talking simultaneously inside told her that there were definitely more than two people in the room.

_Perhaps even four or five…_she surmised.

Even though she was no longer next to that door, the voices remained in her head. She could hear every word and every moan clearly enunciated as she walked down the blood-red carpet that was leading her down the road to forbidden territory. The first floor view suddenly looked so much more appealing as she neared the last room. A part of her wanted nothing more to return to the front desk and wait for Corneo there. At least the only thing that separated her and freedom were two large doors that she could perhaps manipulate from the inside to make it open. The spacious vestibule also served as a better fighting field if she had no choice but to defend herself, but the distance between the doors and the golden railings that offered a panoramic view of the manor was no more than ten feet wide. If they backed her against the stairs, she was sure she would lose the fight due to slipping on the marble tiles.

Tifa inwardly reprimanded herself for not thinking about the possible dire consequences before she accepted the receptionist's invitation. She never realized that putting others before herself could hurt her in the end. A cold rush of air surrounded her as she stood just a couple of feet away from her destination. The breeze seemed to have unearthly hands that pierced right through her body, clawing her half exposed back before moving it's lengthy frigid fingers towards her shoulders. She could feel the ghastly touch unite at the base of her neck before the wispy digits clutched her throat, breaking her desperate need of airflow. She was choking inside and out and could feel the colors disappearing from her face, leaving her pale and limp as she leaned against the wall for support. Her heart was racing furiously from the lack of precious oxygen that was being delivered through her body and for a moment, she nearly forgot how to breathe.

The brisk wind slapped her once more when the foreboding door to the chamber opened with a loud creak, almost as if it hadn't been touched in ages. A putrid smell tickled her nostrils as she leaned towards the dark edge, trying to get a better view of the black abyss that she was moments away from walking into.

"What is this place?" Tifa inquired with a frown. Something was not right. It didn't look like an ordinary room and it certainly didn't feel like one either. The walls were clammy and the coolness made her shiver.

"Here you are, Miss Lockheart. Enjoy!"

Before Tifa could protest, she felt the woman nudge her past the door and on to the uneven steps. Tifa quickly whirled around only to find the receptionist giving her an uncanny smile again before sealing the door closed. "Wait!!" she cried frantically as she furiously pounded against the door, hoping by some sheer luck that the lady was still standing on the other side of it. When she received no response, she despondently turned around and gazed at the narrow set of steps that led to the dark pit beneath.

"Ah…we've been expecting you…" A gruff voice echoed throughout the hollow room.

_WE? Just how many people are there?_

Things were not turning out the way she expected them to. She was now locked in a foreign chamber with God knows how many people waiting for at the bottom of the steps. There was only one way to find out. Taking a deep breath, she slowly and hesitantly descended down the stairs. There were no banisters to hold on to so the only aid she had was the cold wall. As she felt her way down, she was growing more and more concerned about the atmosphere. She was sure that if she were to scream, no one would be able to hear her through the thick walls and door. She was sure Corneo selected a setting like the one she was in to carry out his…purposes.

A light suddenly flickered on when she reached the flat ground. Although the light was rather dim, she managed to make out an unkempt man giving her a toothy grin. She tried her best to flash him a smile, but it was short-lived when she noticed two more men emerging from the darkness.

"Umm…so which one you is Corneo?" she asked timidly while roaming her eyes around the chamber. The focal point of the chamber was a pewter table with a red cross etched on its rough surface. It stood proudly in the center with a few silver chains and broken weapons behind it. Something told Tifa that they were not used to kill enemies and monsters…

"We can all be Corneo, if you want us to be…" the first man chuckled lightly before turning around to whisper something to the other two behind him. All three of them starting advancing towards Tifa and she had no choice but to back away from them until she felt her back against the wall.

"What's the matter, princess?" The leader waved his hand, gesturing his followers behind him to take position on either side of the female. "It'll be awhile before you get to see Corneo so why not enjoy our company? We can certainly use someone like you to entertain us…and your assets..."

Tifa could feel three pairs of eyes staring at her from head to toe and she was getting very uncomfortable being cornered on all three sides. She wedged a hand between two of the men and made a passage for her to exit the enclosure. She really didn't want to start off the interrogation by killing three men but at this rate, she may not have much of a choice. "Look, I just want to see Don Corneo…please…"

One of the men with flaming red hair snickered at her naivety. "You won't be able to see the Don unless we get two more luscious babes. He takes three gals and selects the lucky one to be his bride."

"You're the first one in the mansion today, babe," informed another man with greasy black hair and a patch over his right eye. Watching her body sway uncomfortably with is good eye was turning him on. He always had a thing for innocent and bashful ladies. "So…why don't we have some fun to kill time?" He dashed past the leader and made a violent grab for Tifa's wrist.

The martial artist cried out in surprise and jerked her arm back with such intense force that it caused her attacker to tumble over. He fell to his knees and let out an angry growl as he eyed his companion and leader behind him. The slightest trace of their seductive grins was wiped off their faces as they helped the victim up to standing.

_Great…what did I just get myself into?  
_

The leader reached behind his back and pulled out a small dagger. He easily flicked the sheath off, revealing a sharp blade with a jagged edge that gleamed devilishly beneath the overhead lights. "You got some nerve, Miss. Lockheart. Don't worry…we'll teach you a lesson though. A lesson you'll never forget."

Tifa didn't even attempt to try to talk herself out of the predicament at hand. Neither of them was the Don and there was no way she would lose her dignity by apologizing to the low life scums who wanted nothing more but to use and abuse her body to fulfill their own sexual pleasures and fantasies. She balled her fingers into a fist and immediately engaged into her usual fighting stance. She was relieved that the dress she was wearing only came slightly above the knees, offering her the ability to easily maneuver through the thin cloth. If the worse came, she could easily dispose her evening gown for she had her usual outfit worn beneath the blue gown.

The leader let out a loud peal of thundering cackles as he witnessed the female in front of him actually having the gall to fight and defend herself. Initially, he wasn't planning on harming her. He simply planned on waving the dagger in front of her until she begged for mercy and gave into his sleazy demands, like almost all the women he had encountered in the past. However, this woman certainly pushed his buttons. It was definitely going to be interesting seeing her defend herself from three men. It was going to be interesting indeed…

Before he even took one step towards her, he felt a stinging pain burning in his hand and was forced to drop the weapon as a reflex. He tried to make a grab for it, but Tifa expertly swept her right leg across the distance between them, knocking the blade to the far end of the room and the leader to the ground.

"Bitch. You will pay for that. Mark my word!" the redhead seethed as he lunged forward to deliver a chain of successive punches. To his dismay, each of them was blocked by Tifa's palms, which were moving so gracefully and rapidly that it was almost impossible to see the fingers flying in the whirlwind.

Tifa didn't reply. Instead, she concentrated on executing the right attacks. One wrong move and she could be the one lying on the pewter table with a bloodstained cross smeared over her body. She blocked the final punch and finally decided to shift to the offensive side. She took a step back, making sure the space in between was wide enough for her long legs to pierce through the carrottop's temple. This time, it was Tifa's turn to grin slyly as she dug her long stiletto heel into the warm flesh, causing the wound to weep a few droplets of blood from the abrasion.

She turned around just in time to catch one of the thugs with the eye patch trying to swing a fist her way. She easily crouched underneath the blow and countered with a full uppercut that sent the man propelling backwards into his partner. The leader's snarl could rival a beast as he struggled to get up to his feet. Tifa was stunned that the redhead she had just fought a few seconds ago was now rejuvenated with renewed strength. She could have sworn that her blow was going to knock him unconscious at least for a few minutes.

"Honey, you're messing with the wrong group of men here. We were all part of SOLDIERS at one point in our lives…haha…I'm sure you have some inkling of what elitists from SOLDIERS could do…"

"SOLDIERS!?" Tifa said incredulously, her eyes widening with each syllable leaving her mouth. "So, this is the type of place you end up in after being discharged from ShinRa? I should have known that this place is somehow connected with that horrible empire."

The leader grinned wickedly; even he was starting to recover. "Discharged? Hahahaha…it was more like we…. resigned…"

"Call it what you want, but it doesn't change the fact that ShinRa is a part of this whole mess," Tifa said flatly as she began to slowly maneuver backwards before the group could get a chance to corner her again. Now she was certain that there was a link between ShinRa and the Don. Corneo was the key to all her answers and there was no way she was leaving the mansion without squeezing all the information she needed out of him.

The black eye-patched man playfully taunted her with a wink from his good eye. "ShinRa has done a lot of dirty work…and random sexual encounters had never been an exception."

If they were indeed former members of SOLDIERS, she should not underestimate their abilities and talents. They had to have been even slightly experienced with fighting in order to survive the cut for SOLDIERS. If what they claimed was true, then these thugs could be anywhere as talented as Cloud or Zack…but maybe just a little rustier than them being that it appeared they've been leading a non-military life for quite some time. Still, she had to keep her attention keen at all times.

Before she could even utter a word in response, the atmosphere around her suddenly grew warm. The back of her throat started to burn as she inhaled a gulp of air that seemed to have been poisoned by the strongest toxin in existence-Mako. Her eyes started to water as the stinging sensation managed to seep into her pupils as well, causing her to collapse on the floor and double over in the pain that was smoldering her throat and eyes as if Ifrit himself had just sent her into his realm of Hell Fire. Small tears started to trickle down her cheeks as a result of attempting to open her eyes. Thick white smoke enveloped her, causing her vision to fail the more she tried opening her eyes to the foggy world before her. She heard voices laughing on the other side that was spare from the hazy mist, but their remarks were barely audible. Her ears were ringing as each sound the men made appeared as incoherent echoes that bounced off the intangible walls of the white cyclone she was trapped in.

_This…this must be a Mako infused smoked bomb that was specifically manufactured from the ShinRa Weapon Reasearch Facility…_

With whatever clear thoughts she could gather, logic told her that she should make a run for the entrance before the toxic clouds consumed all the non-tainted areas left in the chamber. Ignoring her inflamed eyes and throat, she forced her legs up to standing and made a run for the entrance, using the mental map of the area she made as her only guide. Her fingers desperately searched the environment around her for the glossy slimy walls that were implemented on either side of the long narrow stairway.

The three men stood in the clear vicinity of the room, chuckling to themselves as they watched the girl trying to roam out of the deadly fog. It was an amusing sight indeed, parallel to watching a blind mice attempting to finds it way out of a never-ending maze. However, as soon as they spotted the beautiful female making her first step on the steps to freedom, they immediately snapped out of their musings. Don Corneo would have their heads if he ever found out what they've done to his future wife.

"Damnit! Stop her before she makes it to the top to seek help, morons!" the leader yelled, his grin transforming into a nasty glare that made both of his subordinates jump in fright.

Without wasting another precious second, they quickly dashed towards the brunette. The black eye-patched man grabbed her arms back while the redhead tugged on her thick lock of hair, preventing her from taking another step forward. Tifa did not expect them to use such brute force considering that she had faired quite well against them before. However, the tables have now been turned and they were the ones who were calling the shots. She tugged her arms back, trying to resist their seemingly inhuman grip, but to no avail. She felt a third set of arms lift her legs up, suspending her into the air before she had the chance to prove how deadly her kicks were. With a blurred vision, her coordination decreased greatly and the only tactic she could depend on was overpowering the lackeys by somehow writhing out of their grasps. To her dismay, the position she was in plus the deadly grip they had on her, made it almost impossible to accomplish that feat.

"Throw her on the table," ordered the leader in an excited tone. He could already feel the bulge in his pants starting to expand just by simply staring at the defenseless female who was to be toyed with in a matter of seconds.

Tifa let out a piercing yelp when she felt her back slam on to something hard and jagged. The coursing pain was so intense that she didn't even realize that the air around her was no longer thick and venomous. Her throat no longer throbbed as she sucked in a gulp of sweet air that her body was desperately longing for. Unfortunately, her vision did not improve. Upon opening her eyes, the world was swirling in a manner that defied all laws of gravity. Their faces and bodies were nothing more than colorful shapes molded together in a continuous swirl that made her dizzy. Her arms and legs felt limp and numb as she realized her worst fear came true. The smoke bomb was meant to knock her out and have her beg for mercy before the relentless scums, who would inevitably try to steal her innocence, which she had been guarding her entire life for that one special person…for Cloud.

_Cloud…_

And then the world became black.

- - -

Author's Notes: I decided to further develop one of the most amusing events in the game, by adding in more CloTi action of course. This chapter was originally around 6,000 words long, but I decided to cut the ending out. The ending consisted of a dark semi-rape sequence, but I realized the content would probably fit the NC-17 rating, which is no longer on anymore. However, if you're just curious, feel free to drop me an email and I'll send you the deleted passage. As always, thanks for reading and please leave a review. )


	2. Wall Market Frenzy

Wall Market Frenzy

- - -

"This is Don Corneo's mansion. He's a big shot here in Wall Market. Listen, the Don's not interested in men. So just get the hell outta here. Hey, any you got another cute one with you!"

Cloud shot the man guarding Corneo's mansion a wicked scowl before Aeris tugged on his arm, pulling him over to a secluded area not too far from the main entrance. He didn't know what was worse…not being able to punch the guard square in the gut or have the flower girl he just met affectionately massaging his arm up and down. With a groan, he decided the latter was more tolerable and followed her until she came to a halt.

"Hey, this looks like the Don's mansion. I'll go take a look. I'll tell Tifa about you," Aeris said with a serious tone that failed to reflect off her features. Her emerald eyes were wide and excited and her rosy lips were curved into a flirtatious grin.

Cloud shook his head, grabbing her wrist before she had the chance to turn around and do something rash. "No!! You can't!!"

Aeris stared at her wrist before daring to pierce the Ex-SOLDIER's stoic Mako eyes. Her grin widened upon hearing the defiant words she expected to come out of his mouth. Truthfully, she wasn't thrilled about the idea of storming Corneo's mansion by herself, but for some reason, she felt compelled to believe that the Ex-SOLDIER she met just a few hours ago would not let any harm come her way. He had a strong sense of duty and even a stronger sense of justice-two qualities that her old boyfriend, Zack, had been admired for. This man before her, Cloud Strife, was almost like the sheer epitome of heroism. He was strong, observant, bold, courageous…too bad he wasn't much of a talker though. He was an honorable man who kept his word and as her bodyguard, she was certain that he was not going to let anything happen to her.

"Why?" she asked innocently, with a hint of amusement in her voice as she idly played with the tips of her curls with her fingers.

Cloud stared down at her incredulously. "You DO know…what kind of…place this is, don't you?"

Surely anyone from the slums who was sober would consider Aeris, a sweet flower girl clad in such bashful colors like pink and cherry, to be a naïve and sheltered girl with not much knowledge of the corrupted city she resided in, but this was going a bit too far. Did she really have no inkling of the place she was just standing before? Cloud found that hard to believe since their journey so far consisted of her telling him all the sordid deeds that took place in Wall Market.

Aeris playfully rolled her eyes and to Cloud's relief, she dropped both arms to her sides. She shrugged, unable to offer a better suggestion than "Then what am I supposed to do? You want to go in with me?"

Cloud folded both arms across his chest as he walked around her, deeply contemplating if that was his only possibility of saving Tifa. He glanced at the guard, who was now emptying the last bit of alcohol from his bottle into his mouth. Realizing that he had consumed all the content, he roughly tossed the empty glass bottle into a nearby wall, nearly breaking the windows of the shop beside it. Cloud sighed. There was no way that scum was going to let him in. "Well being a man, that'll be pretty hard, " he admitted. "Besides if I bust in there, it'll cause too much commotion. But, I just can't let you go in alone… Oh man…… First…we need to find out if Tifa's alright… What's so funny Aeris"

He stopped pacing and watched with confusion as the flower girl next to him giggled softly to herself, trying her best to stifle her laughs by waving a hand in the air. Just as Cloud was about to wonder if she had lost her marbles, she suddenly stopped and hugged his arm again, which startled him and forced him to slowly maneuver back as she pressed forward. Her eyes gave off an eerie, but hauntingly beautiful glow as she excitedly clasped her hands together, preparing to proclaim her brilliant plan.

"Cloud, why don't you dress up like a girl? It's the only way," she managed to utter in between short laughs.

Cloud saw mirthful tears forming around her eyes. He didn't find it to be hilarious at all. In fact, he nearly jumped when he heard her outrageous idea. "WHAT!?" He hadn't meant for his word to come out so loud that it brought attention from various strangers passing by. His face immediately flushed in embarrassment, hoping that none of the nearby bystanders heard what Aeris just said. More importantly, he hoped the drunken doorman didn't hear his sudden outburst.

Speaking of the drunken doorman, Cloud heard voices coming from the entrance of the mansion. Whirling around, he found that Aeris was no longer standing by his side like she had a moment ago. Instead, she was sweetly chirping to the asshole that threw them out in the first place. He quickly rushed up to her and made a mental note to keep a closer eye on her. Who would've thought that a dependent flower girl from the slums would be so difficult to handle.

He ran up to her just in time to hear her say, "Just wait. I've got a cute friend I want to bring."

Cloud shot one last menacing look at the drunk before guiding the flower girl back down the steps of the mansion. The two walked slowly toward the more urban sector of Wall Market, each deep in thought with very different ideas in mind.

"Aeris! I can't…" Cloud croaked. His tongue became tied when he tried to speak something else so he just left it at that. He hoped that Aeris had a more reasonable alternative to what she had just suggested. Just thinking about dressing up as a woman sent cold shivers down his spine, shaking him to the bones as random images of feminine attires conjured in his mind.

"You are worried about Tifa, aren't you? Then come on, hurry!" Without letting him speak another word, she swiftly gabbed his hand and pulled him into the vibrant streets in the southern sector.

---

"Excuse me! I'd like to get a dress."

The small clothing shop suddenly became quiet, even the heated bickering at the front counter ceased as all eyes landed on the woman who had just spoken aloud. A flower girl accompanied by a man in SOLDIER attire was not a common sight. The heavy dangerous sword strapped on Cloud's back further intimidated the customers, who ended up cowering into every available corner in the store.

However, one brave soul, presumably the storekeeper's daughter, spoke out, "Umm, it might take a little time. Will that be all right?"

Cloud could tell that the adolescent's fingers were quivering beneath the white piece of paper she was holding. Just when he was about to reassure her that they were not affiliated with ShinRa in any way, Aeris asked, "What's the problem?" She briefly turned to the mercenary and nodded, her eyes telling him that she had things under control.

Cloud was slightly relieved that he didn't have to carry the burden of purchasing a dress. Agreeing to dress up as a woman to sneak into the mansion was humiliating enough, although the flower girl did have a point. There was really no other way to save Tifa and barging in would just stir up a ruckus that could put all their lives in danger. His heart skipped a beat every time he wondered if Tifa was OK under Corneo's roof.

_What if she's not? What if she's hurt…or worse…what if she………no…I'll kill them all!_

Sensing Cloud's distress, Aeris quickly nudged him, knocking him out of his trance before returning her attention back to the teen.

"Well, my father, the owner, has been in a slump lately. You see, he makes all the dresses."

"And, where is your father?" Aeris patiently replied.

"He's probably plastered at the bar," the child answered sadly.

"So… You're saying we can't get a dress unless we do something about your father?" Aeris said as a statement more than a question.

The girl nodded, and bowed miserably. "Yes, I'm sorry. He's caused so much trouble. You'd help me bring him back?" she asked hopefully.

Aeris looked at her sympathetically, offering her the only small condolence she could give. "Well, if we don't do something, we don't get a dress, right?"

A wave of relief washed over the teen's youthful face as she eagerly held on to Aeris' hands like she had just received a blessing from a goddess. "Really!? Please help my crazy old dad. I just don't know what to do anymore…"

Aeris returned the friendly gesture and motioned for Cloud to head out the door. "All right, we'll do something. Let's go, Cloud!"

Cloud spoke for the first time since he walked into the store. "So…I'm guessing we should look for her father in the bar?"

Aeris grinned mischievously, her teasing making Cloud more and more uncomfortable with each passing second. "Hmm…so you WERE listening. I thought you might've zoned out due to embarrassment." She held on to her stomach, attempting to suppress another laugh as she watched her friend's face flush again. She couldn't help it; he just looked too cute when he blushed.

"Yeah…" Cloud started slowly, scratching the back of his head as he did so. "It did feel really awkward standing in there since it was mostly all females inside-"

"Heh. It must've been a treat for those ladies inside to see such a handsome man walk in," Aeris interrupted, enjoying the way she was sweetly taunting him.

She couldn't remember having this much fun with a guy with the exception of Zack. But Zack was long gone and she never heard from him again. The emptiness he left her when he walked out of her life, for some unknown reason, never disappeared, but for the first time with her new bodyguard's company, she could feel the wound slowly but surely healing. Their striking physical resemblance was only the beginning of the myriad similarities the two EX-SOLDIERS shared.

"Umm…I don't know what to say…" Cloud's face burned even more. Why was she torturing him like this? He never thought others would consider him 'handsome' in his lifetime. Perhaps 'crazy' was a more fitting term for him.

"OH, you're just shy and humble. Although if Zack were in your position right now, he'd have no problem taking advantage of the situation and use it to swoon the ladies with his charms. I'll get mad, but he always come back to me and apologize for his misbehavior." Aeris sighed reminiscently, recalling the last few days they shared before he disappeared. She thought about him a lot and would now give anything for him to come back to flirt with other women lovelier than her.

Cloud shifted his weight on to the sole of his feet, leaning against the wall of the clothing shop with his arms crossed over his chest and his head low. That name…it seemed so distant, yet so close. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. No, he couldn't be bothered with this now, not when Tifa was depending on him to save her. How could he forget that wary look she gave him when she disappeared into Wall Market. Something was definitely not right and he had to get her out of there as quickly as possible.

"Hmmm? What's wrong Cloud?" Aeris suddenly asked when she didn't receive a response from him. Spinning around, she saw that he was gazing off into the bright expanse, oblivious to all the rowdy people in the slums.

Using little effort, he kicked himself off the wall and joined the flower girl again. "I'm just concerned about Tifa…we should get going."

"Oh…yes, of course. Tifa…" she answered, failing to hide the disappointment in her voice. "Let's see…the bar should be that way."

She pointed north of their current location and Cloud couldn't help but wonder how she was so familiar with the various places implemented in such a squalid part of the slums. Thinking it was best not to ask and know, he nodded and led the way towards the bar.

---

The smell of cheap liquor immediately filled Cloud's nostrils as he stepped into the nearly deserted bar, save for a few drunkards who wasn't sober enough to move on their own. A misty bluish light streamed from the counter, trying to illuminate as many dark corners as possible. Unfortunately, the distance that it spanned was not far, barely even reaching the karaoke stage, which was the focal point of the room. The seating area planted right of the counter was dark and abandoned, except for one middle-aged man who was murmuring something incoherent with his face plastered against the tabletop and hands clutching either side of his temples.

Before Cloud could warn the female of the possible dangers of the strangers around them, Aeris left his side and walked to the table where the man was groaning to himself. Touching his shoulder briefly, she said in her most soothing voice, "Excuse us, are you the father of the girl at the Clothing Store"

He shot up from his interrupted nap and dubiously stared at the mysterious duo before him. Blinking an eye open, he replied in an annoyed tone, "I own the clothes shop…but I ain't your father."

Aeris was about to say something else, but Cloud was quicker. There was no use in talking sense into him; he was obviously intoxicated. "Make me some clothes," the mercenary demanded, with no emotion in his voice.

The older man scowled and prepared to get out of his seat. "I don't make men's clothes. And I don't feel like makin' anything right now," he snapped harshly before realizing that he couldn't stand on his own two feet yet. Plopping back into his chair, he hissed a string of curses beneath his breath and took another sip from his empty liquor bottle.

The flower girl shook her head. She should've known better than to let Cloud take control of the situation. He was a tough fighter, but sweet-talking was obviously not a perquisite for joining SOLDIERS. She tiptoed and whispered into his ear, "Cloud, you wait over there for a second. I'll try and talk to him. Why don't you go over there and have something to drink."

He was going to argue back, but finally decided it was best to obey her wish. He would only get in the way and prolong the preparation needed in order to find Tifa. The frightened look she gave him before disappearing from view still haunted him, his mind unable to conceive anything else but that image. If only he reached Sector VI by himself, he could've saved his childhood friend already and he wouldn't have to worry about Aeris' safety. But now that she was with him, he had to consider her security as well, forcing him to work twice as hard and be twice as alert. If the promise he made to be her bodyguard didn't bind him to his duties, whatever human emotions left inside of him certainly did. He couldn't break another promise, not when his warped memory nearly discarded the one he made to Tifa years ago before he left for Midgar.

_Tifa…please be safe…_

"You know, Mister. He always said that just once, he'd like to dress up like a girl. So, that's why I wanted a cute dress for him…"

His train of thoughts broke when he overheard what Aeris just said. Cloud squeezed his eyes shut and inwardly cringed. He knew she often acted on impulse, but was it really necessary for her to make him seem like a transvestite? Unable to bear the humiliation anymore, Cloud quickly ran to the back of the bar and stood not too far away from the restrooms. To his dismay, it wasn't far enough to elude the conversation that was strangely becoming more interesting and appealing to the owner.

"What!? A tough lookin' guy like that?"

Aeris nodded her head in confirmation. "So, how 'bout it? Will you make him one?"

The owner rubbed his chin, thinking in between taking sips from the empty bottle and greedily staring at the young flower girl's flattering body. "…might be interesting. I was gettin' a little bored just makin' regular clothes."

Aeris, not noticing his gaping eyes, grinned happily. "Then you'll do it for us?"

The old man slammed the container down hard and rubbed the base of his jaw with his stained cuff. After giving some more thought for a few seconds, he finally conceded, "Yeah, all right. What kind of dress you want?"

Aeris briefly turned to Cloud, who was standing a few feet away from her. From the embarrassed look on his face, it didn't look like he was in the mood to make a decision or care about the final result as long as he left with a dress. _Men…they're just clueless _Aeris thought wistfully. It looked like she was going to have to speak for him. "Hmm….something that feels soft. And something…that shimmers."

"Hmm, got it. Y'know I got a friend that has the same taste as him. I'll go talk to him."

_Well, at least the dress is taken care of now…_

She bowed, her way of showing him her gratitude. Her roving emerald eyes scanned the room until they found the spiky headed mercenary standing in the back, apparently talking to a stranger in the bathroom. Curious, she hurried up to him and was immediately greeted with a strong gust of fetid smell that was powerful enough to make her gag. Cloud, who seemed to be unaffected by the horrid whiff, simply shrugged and handed the woman in the bathroom a bottle of digestive. What use did he have for it anyway?

The mysterious woman instantly made a grab for the remedy and handed an item back in exchange. Cloud and Aeris glanced at each other strangely, unsure of what had just happened. Before neither of them could ask the woman, she slammed the door in their faces and to Aeris' relief, the rank smell no longer lingered in the air.

"Hmm…she gave me a vial of 'sexy cologne'…" Cloud stated, sniffing the tiny bottle, which had a rather pleasant scent.

"Let me smell?"

Cloud handed the cologne to her and watched her smell the item intently, making funny faces with each sniff. "Hmm…" she proclaimed. "This isn't bad at all. We could put this to great use."

"Great use?"

Aeris grinned widely. She had never encountered a man who was as cute and innocent as the one standing beside her. "Correct. Use this when we sneak into Corneo's mansion and I'm sure he won't be able to resist the _sexy_ smell emanating from you," she said gleefully, returning the bottle back to him. "By the way, where did you get the digestive from anyway?"

Cloud tapped his foot, trying to recall just how he got the digestive. It suddenly hit him when the familiar rotten air seeped through the battered door behind him. "Umm…remember that restaurant we ate at when we first got here? Well, the manager gave me a pharmacy coupon because I complimented his meal. I went to the pharmacy and exchanged the coupon for the digestive when you were still eating."

"Oh, so that's where you went when you left! Gosh, I thought you were going to leave me in there by myself so I finished my meal as fast as possible," she mused out loud with a hint of feigned fear in her voice.

"I wouldn't do that to you," Cloud responded calmly but firmly. "Besides, I'm surprised that I didn't need that digestive after consuming the Sushi Plate. I honestly wanted to tell the manager that I've had better dog food."

Aeris arched a single brow and laughed softly. "You had dog food before?"

"What? N-n-no!!" Cloud immediately protested, waving his hands to emphasize his point. "It's just a saying."

"You're a strange one. Most people would just say they didn't like the food," she replied, her smile still unwavering. "But…" she continued, "At least I know now that you have a sense of humor. It's the first joke you cracked since I met you."

Cloud stared at flower girl by his side, realizing that she was right. Her carefree nature had elicited genuine emotions from him, emotions that had laid dormant within his cold heart for too long. It was strange to experience something other than hatred and bitterness, but he was confident that her presence was going to uplift his heavy calloused demeanor. For the first time in years, he had managed a laugh with her…a true authentic laugh that came naturally. The effervescent woman filled an empty void in his heart and chased away the brooding darkness that threatened to take over him a little more each day. However, he still felt incomplete for a greater hole remained opened, a fissure that could only be sealed by Tifa and nobody else.

A frown creased over Aeris' lips when she noticed that her companion went back to brooding, indulging in his own thoughts and unaware of everything else around him. She felt her heart breaking inside, not because he was sometimes ignorant towards her, but because another woman of far more importance never left his thoughts. She truly wanted to meet the woman who was always present in the back of his mind, not just know of her.

"Come on. We better get going," Aeris sighed heavily, concluding that Cloud probably didn't even acknowledge her last comment. "We should go back to the clothing store to see if they have the dress ready."

Cloud shook his head; it was something he tended to do a lot lately. So much thoughts and concerned filled his head and to make things worse, a foreign strange voice was speaking to him. Was there really someone talking to him or was he going crazy from the lack of rest. The last time he had a decent sleep was back at the Seventh Heaven bar where he slept in peace and content knowing that Tifa was safe beside him. He didn't think much of it before, but now he would give almost anything to have her securely lying next to him again. It was always the small things he never learned to cherish until they were gone.

"Yeah, let's quickly get this over with," he replied brusquely as he coldly walked by the flower girl and headed for the door.

---

"Oh, you're here. It's ready. Go try it on."

Cloud frowned deeply as he reluctantly accepted the silk dress with much discomfort. The dress was dark purple, a royal color that reminded him all too much of the power hungry empire known as ShinRa and the monstrous acts the company carried out.

_It's always ShinRa…and now they're keeping me from her…_he thought bitterly with angry fingers tearing into the dress. His knuckles turned white from the pressure but instantly returned back to its original flesh color when Aeris prodded him and pointed towards a shabby dressing room with a thin drape serving as the only source of privacy.

Cloud took small hesitant steps and Aeris had to nearly push him through the lacerated drape. He felt his whole body propel forward from the strong push with nothing braking him except for a tall cracked mirror that stood a maximum of three feet away from him. Cloud could've sworn the fitting room looked considerably larger from the outside, but maybe his mind was just deluding him again. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the dirty wall, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with exhaustion. The dress fell limply from his hands and landed lightly next to his feet, but not for long. The muscles in his back flexed slightly as he accepted a welcoming invisible weight exerted on his shoulders, forcing him to the floor in a matter of seconds. It felt so wonderful to sit down even though he was accompanied by a mysterious moldy substance stemming through the gaps of the fractured floor and a gown with a color that represented everything he resented.

Weakly cracking open on eye, Cloud wondered why he bothered wearing a uniform that made him appear like a soldier within ShinRa's corrupt legions. He certainly had enough gils to afford a new change, so why couldn't he relinquish the attire he had on now. His desire to find an answer was short-lived when a mind numbing pain seared through his head and quickly disappeared before he could reflexively grip his temples. What was happening to him?

_Forget it. I don't have time to worry about stuff that I don't even know about._

"Time to mosey…"

His first thought was whether or not he should just throw the dress over his SOLDIER uniform or get rid of the latter first. Deciding that it was best to play it safe, he started unclasping the metal bucklers of his suspenders, allowing the straps to hit the floor with a lonely thud. Being released from the confines of his heavy armor was a refreshing sensation, one he did not get to experience often due to fighting battles after battles. As long as ShinRa was around, there was no telling when and where the Turks or SOLDIERS were going to strike. He couldn't even steal a moment of reprieve during his sleep since it was not uncommon for the merciless assassins to carry out their dirty activities in the black night.

His fingers began fumbling for the zipper, buttons, anything that would widen the dress enough for him to place his head through the collar.

"How……do you put this on?" he grunted, still rationally trying to figure out how the dress worked before he 'accidentally' ripped the whole thing apart. Before he could continue, his keen ears picked up shuffling noises from the other side of the cloth. He instantly brought his suspenders back up to his chest and hugged the gown tightly against his knees when he saw a shadow of a looming female figure with thick curls dangling on her shoulders.

"Whoa! What are you doing!" he exclaimed a little louder than he should when the curtain suddenly flew open, revealing a smiling Aeris with hands on her hips.

_Wow, he really doesn't know how to put the dress on…_

Hmm…something appeared off. It was at that moment Aeris realized that the most noticeable feature was Cloud's hair, not his Mako enhanced eyes. Even with the dress, his shocking blonde mess would instantly make Corneo suspicious. She couldn't remember the last time she saw a woman with untamed spikes that had the potential to tear one's eye out.

"It's still not right," she stated simply. "A wig! That's what you need!"

Cloud inwardly groaned. Where the hell were they going to get a wig?

The owner walked behind Aeris and glared down at Cloud's sitting figure, letting his eyes roam a couple of times over the blonde's lean muscles before commenting, "Umm, I thought you might, so I talked to my friend about getting one. You know the gym? You'll find a lot of people like you. Go and talk to them."

Cloud grimaced and instantly jumped up to his feet, his Mako eyes trained hard on the flower girl, demanding, "…'like you'? Aeris, what did you tell him?"

To his slight annoyance, she simply shrugged it off like it was no big deal. She took the dress from his hands and easily slipped the straps on to a wooden hanger and kindly handed it back to the owner. "Does it matter? Anyhow, we got a pretty dress!"

---

"I'm sorry," Aeris confessed, although her huge smile and wide eyes didn't exactly make the words sound convincing. She had a feeling that her bodyguard was somewhat irritated with her from the way she acted, but how else did he expect her to get a dress and a wig for him? Besides, he certainly wouldn't have the guts to find one on his own, not when he had a difficult time letting go of his pride and honor even if it meant saving someone he claimed was very important to him. She forced her feet to move a little faster. Cloud had been walking faster than he normally did every since they left the clothing shop without so much of a glance to see if she was next to him or not.

She finally caught up with him when he skidded to a stop in front of the gym. It was hard to detect his expression beneath the golden spikes, but Aeris saw a hint of a rueful smile, which helped eased her nerves a bit.

He placed a hesitant hand on her shoulder; it was one of the few times he actually touched a girl and he had no idea how she was going to react. Seeing that she didn't pull away or budge, he gently squeezed her flesh with his fingers. "No…it's ok. I was a bit mad at first, but I realized that I shouldn't have been. You were only trying to help and I'm really grateful that I have someone like you with me."

Aeris craned her neck, not believing that he had actually touched her for the first time without obligation. Her eyes rested on his firm hand for a moment before trailing up to his intense azure eyes that outshone any gaudy lights blinking mercilessly in Wall Market. She could tell he meant what he said for a flash of emotion flickered through the beautiful but cold Mako pools. It was something bordering relief and contentment, but not quite…happiness. God, she loved how he was staring at her right now. For the first time, she felt like she was in the center of his attention, not the corrupt town they were treading in, not ShinRa, not AVALANCHE, and not Tifa. For the first time, she felt like she was the main focus in his life.

Unfortunately, she had spoken too soon.

"Besides," he continued. "I'll do anything for Tifa…"

"Oh…" Aeris felt a sharp sting in her heart and even a bigger pang of pain when Cloud withdrew his hand, taking away her rapture that had only been cherished for a few brief seconds. His eyes no longer watched her anymore for they were staring off into the vast span of neon lights with longing, a longing that she couldn't help fulfill.

_Why is he like this? One minute I think he really cares about me and the next minute he's drifting off into space thinking about her…_

"This is the gym…" she lamented, trying her hardest not to let her disappointment show.

He heard her, but her words were distant, much like how his mind was at that instant. He inwardly reprimanded himself for zoning out once again. Nothing was going to get accomplished if he kept detaching himself from the task at hand.

"OK, let' s mosey," he said with determination glistening in his eyes.

"Mosey?" Aeris inquired. She couldn't help but feel infatuated with him like a lovesick girl again. Everything that Cloud did was just too…adorable.

"Oh…" Cloud flushed and scratched his head awkwardly. "Barret really hates it when I say that, but I got used to it."

"Well, I think it sounds cute!"

"Umm…yeah…" Cloud muttered, suddenly wondering why he decided to say 'mosey' all of a sudden. And then he remembered it was because it always calmed Tifa down and made her laugh whenever they were on a mission that could be their last. Since they've been on so many of those missions, he got used to saying it and now it became a habit, although it was a habit that Barret did not approve of because he didn't want his hardcore AVALANCHE buddies using 'cute' and 'adorable' phrases.

"Well, let's get going, shall we?" Aeris said, feeling that the small jesting was on the verge of dying. She turned to her side and reached for the doorknob, giving it a wide firm turn.

Surprisingly, the gym was a lot cleaner than she had expected it to be. A few rundown exercise machines were to her left, but they were mostly abandoned due to the poor condition they were in. A few ragged posters of athletes hung limply against the wall and it appeared that nobody in the gym really cared or made an effort to ease the ruptured sheets. The most striking feature in the gym was a medium-sized fighting ring, which was heavily occupied by the members. Just when she was about to cheerfully greet them, one of the members with a tanned complexion and a giant afro stepped out and approached them.

"You the one……who wants to be cute?" He pointed a finger at Cloud and gave him a wink underneath the unruly mass of hair.

"Cute?" Cloud asked incredulously, slightly jumping back at the remark. He was afraid that if he uttered that word in a slightly higher tone, it'd come out sounding more like a shriek.

"Right, about that wig…" Aeris interjected, trying to split the uneasy tension that was slowly building between the two men.

"Yeah, I heard. But it'll cost ya."

Before either Cloud or Aeris could ask about the method of payment, another body builder stepped up, grunting, "Urrrrgh!!! Big Bro!! The only way you're gonna get cuter is if

you can beat Big Bro!!"

Big Bro waved his hand wildly, gesturing his buddies to back off when the rest of the swarm behind him started cheering.

"That's right!" one said loudly.

"So, you've got to compete with us!" another one chimed.

"You're right. Let's do squats," Big Bro agreed and led the way to the mini arena. He jumped on to the platform, which was immediately cleared as the members in the gym all backed away, preparing to watch their great idol beat the 'one who wants to be cute' in his specialty-squats.

One of the muscular guys cheered boisterously, "All right! We'll beat you out of this gym."

Cloud walked past the members, feeling a big perturbed with many sets of eyes staring him up and down. Even the Ancient's emerald eyes were giving him an unsettling sensation and she was female!

"Are you…" Cloud started.

"The beautiful Bro?" Aeris finished.

Big Bro glared menacingly at his buddies who were hovering behind each other, slightly trembling with a sense of trepidation hovering around them. God forbid they were going to feel his wrath. "What? You didn't know? Always running around here sayin' Big Bro' this, Big Bro' that… Never mind that, come over here. Now, I'll explain the rules. Got it?"

"Got it," Cloud replied as he took his stance before his opponent.

"Whoever has the most squats after 30 seconds gets the wig," Big Bro explained.

The muscular opponent grinned widely; he was already confident in his victory. "I'm not going to lose. Big Bro's wig is MINE!!"

Big Bro rolled his eyes. The arrogant way his buddy was presenting himself was downright embarrassing. "Just be quiet…" Turning to Cloud, he asked, "It's not far for you to start right away. So, you want some practice?"

Cloud shrugged. It's not like he had never done squats before so what was there to practice? "Don't need to practice."

Big Bro grinned. It was nice seeing a man who was truly confident in himself, not the pretense of conviction his comrades usually put up. "Now let's begin the real thing. Start!"

_Just as well as Zack…_Aeris reflected as she watched the soft muscles rippling against Cloud's SOLDIER uniform whenever he squatted down and came back up with an equal amount of fervent energy. Yes, she was staring, no…more like gawking at her bodyguard's well-toned physique. She surmised that it must have taken a few years of intense training to be able to get the captivating body that Cloud had. Aeris glanced nervously around her, hoping that no one in the room noticed that her riveting eyes were not able to train on anything else except for the blonde mercenary. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that almost everyone in the room had their eyes set on Cloud, even the 'beautiful Big Bro'. She inwardly continued counting the number of squats Cloud was doing, knowing for a fact that he had outnumbered his opponent, who stopped a couple of times to fix his posture However, Cloud didn't even pause to take a breath. His squats were done solidly, one after another without even the tiniest stray to break his perfect pattern.

Big Bro looked down at his stopwatch and raised a hand when thirty seconds had passed. Cloud's opponent hunched over his knees and breathed deeply in between his wheezes. The rest of the gang looked rather disappointed at their companion, but they were more impressed with how the lankier man managed to win the competition without even a practice round. It was already quite evident who had won.

"You're really something. Okay, I'm a man of my word, here you are." Big Bro slapped Cloud hard on the shoulder and then handed him his prize.

Cloud accepted the wig and shrugged. It was really nothing. However, his opponent was not taking it so well.

"Big Bro, I'm so mad, I'm so so so---mad!" the muscular man whined, which caused an offset of stares going his way.

Losing his patience with his flunky, Big Bro walked up to him and punched him square in the stomach, sending him sprawling against the wall. "Shut up! Don't cry, just because you lost!"

One of the witnesses gaped, his mouth wide opened in astonishment. "Uuuuhh, Bro's fists of steel cut to the bone!" he said dumbly.

Cloud nodded towards the door and Aeris obliged. They were finally done with their quest and now it was time to infiltrate the mansion.

---

Cloud never thought he would say this, but he was actually thrilled to be back in the clothing shop again. Things were finally falling into place and he finally gathered everything he needed to proceed with the plan.

Aeris retrieved his dress from the rack and handed it to him. "Aren't you going to change?"

"Okay…I'm ready." His voice wavered, but there was no turning back now. Not when they were so close to getting Tifa back. Taking the dress, he walked into the dressing room for the second time that day. This time, he made sure to secure the ripped drape, the feeblest attempt to create privacy. The last thing he wanted was for the flower girl and any other females…or males in the room to peer through the remnants of the pathetic curtain.

Aeris gave him an innocent but sly grin before he disappeared from view. She sincerely hoped Cloud had enough logic to put on the dress, although…if he needed help, she wouldn't mind too much going into the changing room to assist him. A small blush crept upon her cheeks as she imagined herself alone in a tightly confined space with a half nude Cloud. Suddenly, the room became really hot, almost too hot for her to bear as she patiently waited for her friend to finish inside. Turning around so that she was no longer facing the shuffling curtain, she pretended to browse through the wooden rack behind her for a dress. Many beautiful gowns greeted her, but she couldn't concentrate on selecting one that would look nice on her. Instead, her mind kept wandering back to inappropriate thoughts regarding Cloud no matter how hard she tried to shove them into the recess of her mind.

_Snap out of it Aeris…_she scolded herself, feeling ashamed that she couldn't control her lust.

When footsteps sounded behind her, she spun around and nearly lost her breath. Cloud had to be the cutest girl…er…cross dresser she had never witnessed. The dress that the owner made fit him perfectly and it was loose enough so that he didn't need to discard his SOLDIER uniform, which he wore underneath. The purple dress was simple with poofy sleeves and hem, giving Cloud the image of a 'goody two-shoe', which was further enhanced with the blonde wig that consisted of two thick braids trailing past his shoulder. Unfortunately, the only component that marred the feminine look was the bulky leather boots he wore that couldn't be concealed by the dress, but that was OK. It didn't make much of a difference and Aeris was sure that Corneo would be too focused on Cloud's pretty face and dress than his shoes and visible trousers.

"Hmm, not bad. This may be a new business for me," the owner complimented mirthfully. It was worth it to be sober again just to see this.

The shopkeeper's daughter agreed. "Yeah, you're right. Should we try it?" She turned to the flower girl and bowed, sincerely showing her how grateful she was. "Thanks for showing us something new. My father's got his motivation back now."

Aeris smiled back, feeling pleased that she managed to help an unfortunate family see a new light. She moved next to the alluring Cloud and examined the dress, making sure he didn't mistakenly tie any of the intricate straps in the back the wrong way. Surprisingly, everything was perfect. Even the wonderful smell from the sexy cologne was the perfect scent to accompany his lavish outfit.

The Ancient made graceful strides around him, occasionally moving her shoulders and arms sensually as she did so. "Walk more nicely like….this, Miss. Cloud," she playfully teased.

Cloud flushed, not even wanting to attempt the walk Aeris just made. "…What do you mean 'nicely'?" he asked in a mortified tone, not even realizing that he was folding both hands over each other neatly.

Aeris couldn't resist another high-pitched squeal. "Oh you're so cute, Miss Cloud." Cloud suddenly made the idea of playing "dress up" appealing. Turning her attention to the owner, she asked, "Do you have one that'll look good on me too?"

The young girl pulled a sparkling green strapless one off the rack. "How's this?" she asked.

"How about that one?" The owner pointed to an elegant, shimmering blue skirt.

"Father, what are you talking about? This one's much better," the girl argued.

"No, what are you saying? This one," the old owner insisted stubbornly.

Aeris looked back and forth between the two recommendations, not really finding either of them alluring. Her eyes scanned through the rack of colorful clothing before she instantly found one that caught her gaze. She whipped out a stunning red dress with thin spaghetti strips and a tail that would flow as she walked. Proudly holding it against her body, she announced, "…I want this one."

"Huh?" the owner and the girl both replied simultaneously.

"I'm going to change." She trotted towards the changing room, but swiftly turned around and added, "……No peeking!" before entering.

Cloud wouldn't dream of stealing a peek at her or any other women for that matter, but he couldn't help but wonder if Aeris would abide by his wish if he had told her the same thing she just said. Before he could even reach a conclusion, the drape was pulled aside and Aeris gracefully walked out in her new attire. Cloud noticed that she even changed her pink bow to a red one, embellishing the glowing materia her mother gave her.

The Ancient twirled around once, smiling and waiting for a comment. "So? How do I look?"

The owner and his daughter glanced at each other silently, both of them thinking that their recommendation would've looked much better on the flower girl. Cloud just shrugged. Honestly, he thought she looked a lot better in her original pink dress, but hey, whatever floats her boat…or sinks her ship. Deciding that it would be best if he just reserved his cynical notion to himself to avoid offending her, he simply kept his mouth shut.

"Oh, you're no fun!" Aeris cried dramatically, feeling a bit peeved as she stormed off towards the door.

_Yeah…she definitely looks better in her old dress…_Cloud reaffirmed as he followed her out.

---

Author's Notes: Wow, this is the longest chapter I have ever written, but it was mostly due to the long dialogues I took from the game script so I'm sorry if you guys were bored out of your mind when you were reading this. I wanted to develop Aeris and Cloud's character more, mostly Aeris' because I got the impression (when I was playing the game) that she isn't this sweet and selfless woman that most people find her to be. I mean, who uses dating as a method of payment? Again, I apologize for the long and tedious chapter, which was basically a poor novelization of Wall Market so please forgive me. Next chapter shall be all CloTi. Thanks again for reading and please leave me a comment or critique so I know what to look out for next time. Thanks again everyone and I hope you all have a happy new year.


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